INFORMATION APPARATUS OR CLIENT SOFTWARE THAT WIRELESSLY DISCOVERS, WITHIN SHORT RANGE, ONE OR MORE OUTPUT DEVICES FOR ESTABLISHING A WIRELESS CONNECTION

• US 20190107980A1
• Filed: 11/26/2018
• Published: 04/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, William Ho, Liu, Christina Ying
• Granted Patent: US 10,841,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1228 Printing driverless or using generic drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1258 by updating job settings at the printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/128 Direct printing, e.g. sending document file, using memory stick, printing from a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 : in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 : Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 : Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 : Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 : Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/181 : Receiving print data characterized by its formatting, e.g. particular page description languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1836 : Rasterization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 : specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 : Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 : Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 : Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 : with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 : with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00403 : Voice input means, e.g. voice commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 : the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00488 : providing an audible output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00854 : Recognising an unauthorised user or user-associated action
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00938 : Software related arrangements, e.g. loading applications program loading in general G06F9/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32534 : details of interfacing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32582 : Output interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 : involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/442 : using a biometric data reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 : Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 : Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 : Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 : By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 : Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 : Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 : using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An information apparatus that wirelessly discovers an available output device, within a physical vicinity, for outputting content is herein disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus includes a wireless communication unit for establishing short range wireless communication directly between the information apparatus and one or more available output devices; wirelessly receiving information from an available output device; determining, from the information received from the available output device, whether the available output device matches a requirement for outputting the content; and, when the requirement is matched, selecting the available output device, conforming at least part of the content into output data, and transmitting at least part of the output data over the short range wireless communication directly from the information apparatus to the selected output device. The information apparatus may include one or more of a smart phone, information pad, a digital camera, or an Internet appliance.

Claims

1. A method of wirelessly outputting, to an output device, at least part of content that can be accessed by an information apparatus, the information apparatus is a distinct device from the output device and includes at least one wireless communication unit for wireless communication with one of more output devices, the method including:

(a) establishing short range wireless communication, via the at least one wireless communication unit, directly between the information apparatus and at least two available output devices;

(b) wirelessly receiving, via the at least one wireless communication unit and over the established short range wireless communication, information from an available output device specifying an attribute of the available output device, the available output device being one of the at least two available output devices that has established the short range wireless communication with the information apparatus;

(c) determining, at the information apparatus and from the attribute received from the available output device, whether the attribute of the available output device matches a requirement for outputting at least part of the content from the information apparatus to the available output device, and, when the requirement is matched, either;

(d) selecting the available output device, conforming at least part of the content into output data, and transmitting at least part of the output data over the short range wireless communication directly from the information apparatus to the selected output device, or

(e) receiving information from another available output device specifying an attribute of the another available output device, and repeating at least steps (c) and (d), the another available output device being one of the at least two available output devices.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting, prior to step (b) and from the information apparatus, data or a request that calls for a receiving output device to transmit information that specifies an attribute related to the receiving output device.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which the attribute related to the available output device includes one or more of quality of service, a status indicator, an availability indicator, or an output data format indicator.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which the attribute related to the available output device includes one or more of a name, an identity, a brand, a model, a registration, a device type, an address, or an indication of a supported output device profile.

5. A method according to claim 1, further including:

obtaining, prior to step (e), authentication information for enabling wireless access to the selected output device; and

in dependence of whether authenticating wireless access to the selected output device is successful, enabling wireless access from the information apparatus to the selected output device.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein either step (a), (b), or (c) further includes obtaining, prior to step (d), user preferences stored in the wireless information apparatus, the preferences being parameters related to rendering of the content at the selected output device;

and wherein the requirement in step (c) includes the user preferences.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information apparatus is a smart phone or an information pad, and wherein the information apparatus includes a touch sensitive screen interface, and wherein either step (c) or step (d) further includes receiving, from a user, an indication of a selected output device via the touch sensitive screen interface.

8. A method according to claim 7 in which the at least one wireless communication unit includes one or more chips or chipsets, the one or more chips or chipsets are compatible, at least partly, with at least one protocol within IEEE 802.11 wireless standards or within Bluetooth standards for establishing the short range wireless communication.

9. A method according to claim 8 in which the available output device is at least one of a printer, a television, or a controller wire connected to a television;

and wherein the established short range wireless communication includes a wireless local area network;

and wherein the output data includes one or more images for output at the available output device.

10. A method according to claim 8, in which the available output device is at least one of an audio output device;

and wherein the established short range wireless communication is compatible, at least in part, with at least one protocol within Bluetooth standards; and

wherein the output data includes audio data for output at the available output device.